California’s leaders cannot afford — literally cannot afford — to shrink from the debate over the public pensions that that threaten our cities’ budgets.

So it was disappointing to hear that Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had nothing to say about the launch last week of a statewide ballot initiative, the Pension Reform Act of 2014, that will lend urgency to that debate.

“No comment on this as of now,” Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb e-mailed in response to a request for comment. “As you know, a lot of initiatives are introduced.”

Yes, but few initaitives have the potential to help cities so thoroughly. The measure would give state and local governments the ability to (though certainly not require them to) renegotiate pension costs for current employees. The campaign for and against the proposition is already shaping up to be fierce. And vital.

The initiative effort is led by San Jose’s Chuck Reed and four other mayors, including Pat Morris of bankrupt San Bernardino. They could use support.

A big-city mayor like Garcetti, who ran on his independence from the city’s powerful labor movement, would be an important ally.